Parking lot information system using image technology for identifying available parking spaces

ABSTRACT

A parking lot information system comprising a digital camera for obtaining an image of parking spaces in the parking lot where each parking space is marked with a visual identifier, a computer coupled to the digital camera for identifying available parking spaces by recognizing the identifiers marking the available parking spaces, and a display coupled to the computer for displaying information on the available parking spaces.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to parking lots, and more particularly,to a parking lot information system that uses image technology toidentify available parking spaces and provide information on the parkinglot to local and remote customers.

Parking lots (or parking garages) have been used for years at variouslocations, ranging from shopping malls to airports. A typical parkinglot remains basically the same over the years. A customer generallyreceives a ticket with a timestamp at a parking lot entrance or anelectronic toll tag attached to the car is read by a tag reader when thecar enters the parking lot. The customer then often drive by rows ofparked cars in the parking lot to find an available parking space. Whenthe customer later returns to the parking lot to retrieve the car, thecustomer would need to find the original parking space where the car wasparked. As the customer exits through a gate of the parking lot, thecustomer presents the parking ticket to a parking lot attendant to payfor the parking duration, or an automated reader reads the electronictoll tag of the car and charges the customer for the parking.

Customers often have a difficult time in finding available parkingspaces in parking lots, especially if the parking lots are relativelylarge or almost full. In addition, a customer may not remember exactlywhere the car was parked and may need to pay the maximum parking fees ifthe customer loses the parking ticket.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The invention relates to a system, computer-implemented method, andcomputer program product for identifying available parking spaces in aparking lot or parking garage, tracking the status of parking spaces,and providing parking lot information to on-site and remote customers.

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a system comprises aplurality of visual identifiers each marking a parking space in aparking lot, a digital camera for obtaining an image of parking spacesin the parking lot, a computer coupled to the digital camera foridentifying available parking spaces by recognizing the identifiersmarking the available parking spaces, and a display coupled to thecomputer for displaying information on the available parking spaces.

In a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, a computerimplemented method comprises obtaining an image of a parking lot by acamera, wherein the parking lot includes parking spaces marked by spaceidentifiers; identifying available parking spaces in the parking lot byrecognizing the identifiers marking the available parking spaces using acamera coupled to the computer; and displaying information on theavailable parking spaces to on-site and remote customers.

In a third exemplary embodiment of the invention, a computer programproduct comprises a computer readable storage medium having computerreadable program code embodied therewith. The computer readable programcode comprises computer readable program code configured to obtain animage of a parking lot by a camera, wherein the parking lot includesparking spaces marked by space identifiers; computer readable programcode configured to identify available parking spaces in the parking lotby recognizing the identifiers marking the available parking spaces,using a computer coupled to the camera; and computer readable programcode configured to display information on the available parking spacesto on-site and remote customers.

The details of the preferred embodiments of the invention, both as toits structure and operation, are described below in the DetailedDescription section in reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichlike reference numerals refer to like parts. The Brief Summary isintended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, but itis not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a parking lot or parking garage inwhich embodiments of the invention may be provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a camera and mirror arrangementfor sending an image of a parked car's license plate to the parking lotinformation system, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a parking lot information systemfor identifying available parking spaces in a parking lot, tracking anddisplaying information on the parking spaces, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing components of a parking lotinformation system, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for identifying and displayingavailable parking spaces in a parking lot, tracking and displayinginformation on the parking spaces, according to an exemplary embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a process identifying and displayingparking spaces that become available in a parking lot, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of functional components in a computer systemin which aspects of the invention may be implemented, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention relates generally to parking lots and parking garages.More particularly, the invention concerns a system, method, and computerprogram product for identifying and displaying available parking spacesin a parking lot, tracking of the parking spaces, and providinginformation on the parking spaces to on-site and remote customers.

In current parking lots, a driver may experience difficulties and delaysin finding an available parking space, especially if a parking lot isrelatively large and is almost full. Upon returning to the parking lotto retrieve the car, the driver may not remember the space where the carwas parked and would have to pay for the delay in finding the car, orpay the maximum fees if the customer loses the parking ticket. Further,a parking lot company may charge the same rate for all of the parkingspaces regardless of the convenience of the individual spaces to thecustomers. This is because the company would not know which parkingspace is used and for how long.

To better track the available parking spaces, the parking lot companymay have an attendant record the parking space of a parked car orinstall a sensor to monitor each parking space. However, theseapproaches may not be practical due to their costs and other otheroverheads. Embodiments of the invention provide an efficient system andmethod for quickly identifying and displaying available parking spacesin a parking lot to customers at any given time, directing customers tothe available parking spaces, and tracking the occupancy of parkingspaces in the parking lot to provide up-to-date information to on-sitecustomers and remote customers through a computer network such as theInternet.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a diagram of a parking lotor parking garage in which embodiments of the invention may be provided.The parking garage 100 includes individual parking spaces 101-102. As anexample, the parking space 102 is currently occupied by a car 103 whileparking space 101 is currently vacant and available to the drivers forparking. Drivers may enter the parking lot 100 through a main lane 106and turn onto side lanes 104 and 105 to reach available parking spaces101-102. When exiting the parking lot 100, the drivers again may use themain lane 106 to reach a parking lot exit.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more camera 107 maybe installed at appropriate locations in the parking lot 100 to providea full view coverage of all the parking spaces in the parking lot 100.For example, multiple cameras 107 may be strategically positionedbetween two adjacent rows of parking spaces and at the ends of the rowsto provide images of all of the parking spaces in these two rows.Cameras 107 may also be installed at the corners of the parking lot 100to provide wide angle views of the parking lot 100.

The cameras 107 may be connected to a computer (not shown) located awayfrom the parking spaces to minimize damages to the computer due to dustand heat in the parking lot 100. The connection between the cameras 107and the computer may be through a video cable or a computer network.This computer may include a computer implementation that providesaspects of the invention, as described with reference to FIGS. 2-6. Oneor more display 108 may be strategically positioned in the parking lot100 to provide information on the currently available parking spaces andother relevant parking information to the drivers. The display 108 maybe connected to the computer that provides embodiments of the inventionthrough a video display cable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a camera and mirror arrangementfor sending an image of the license plates of parked cars in a parkinglot to a parking lot information system, according to an embodiment ofthe invention. As an example, FIG. 2 shows two adjoining parking spaces201 and 202. The parking space 201 is occupied by a car 207 whileparking space 202 is currently unoccupied and available to customers forparking. As an example, camera 205 may be positioned above a wall thatseparates the adjoining parking spaces 201 and 202. A mirror 203 may beappropriately positioned to reflect an image of the license plate ofparked car 207 to the camera 205. Similarly, a mirror 204 may beprovided to reflect an image of the license plate of another car whenthis car is parked in the opposite space 202. To protect the mirrors203-204 from accidental breakage, they may be installed withinprotecting enclosures with small openings to receive and send reflectedimages of the license plates of the parked cars.

While the car 207 is parked in the parking space 201, the car 207 may beon top of the parking space identifier A2 that marks the space 201 andthus block the direct view of the space identifier A2 from the camera205. The camera 205, however, can still receive an image of a licenseplate 208 of car 207 from a reflected view of the license plate 208 bymirror 203. Mirror 203 may be appropriately positioned near the parkingspace 201 and associated with the parking space identifier A2 markingthe parking space 201. The camera 205 and optical character recognitionsystem 206 thus can recognize car 207 as being parked in the parkingspace 201.

On the other hand, the parking space 202 is currently vacant andavailable to customers for parking. The camera 205 has a direct view ofthe parking space identifier B2 that marks the parking space 202, as thespace identifier B2 is not blocked by a parked card, and does not needto use mirror 204 to view a car license plate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a parking lot information system300 for identifying and displaying available parking spaces in a parkinglot, and tracking parking spaces, according to an exemplary embodimentof the invention. The parking lot information system 300 may include oneor more digital camera 310 which may be connected to an opticalcharacter recognition system 311 to recognize the identifiers markingthe parking spaces in the parking lot. The camera 310 may be a highdefinition wide-angle camera to provide a broad coverage of the parkinglot and allow the camera to zoom into parts of a view of the parkinglot. In one embodiment of the invention, the camera 310 is capable ofcreating separate video streams for portions of a view of the parkinglot. The parking lot information system 300 may then relate the videostreams to parts of the parking lot in processing information on theindividual parking spaces.

The optical character recognition system 311 may employ a characterrecognition process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,694 for“MICR-based Optical Character Recognition System And Method” by R. Moonet al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,531 for “Verification And CorrectionMethod And System For Optical Character Recognition” by R. Lorie, whichare hereby incorporated by reference. The optical character recognitionsystem 311 may be connected to a computer 312 such as a server or alaptop computer. The computer 312 may display parking information todrivers and other customers on one or more displays 313. In oneembodiment, multiple displays 313 may be positioned in appropriatelocations in the parking lot to provide up-to-date information onavailable parking spaces to on-site drivers in the parking lot.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a parking lotinformation system, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. The parking lot information system 420 may include an imageprocessor 421 for receiving images of individual parking spaces in aparking lot, for example, from digital cameras 205 installed throughoutthe parking lot. The image processor 421 may enhance the quality of thereceived images using an image enhancement process known in the art. Inaddition, the image processor 421 may dissect the images and organizethe images to facilitate the identification of the individual parkingspaces and the space identifiers.

The parking lot processor 420 may employ an optical characterrecognition component 422 to better recognize characters in the parkingspace identifiers from the images received from the camera 205. Opticalcharacter recognition processes are described, for example, in U.S. Pat.No. 7,295,694 for “MICR-based Optical Character Recognition System AndMethod” by R. Moon et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,531 for “VerificationAnd Correction Method And System For Optical Character Recognition” byR. Lorie, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Once the optical character recognition component 422 has recognizedcharacters from the parking space markers, the parking space identifyingcomponent 423 may correlate the identified parking space markers withthe parking spaces in the parking lot, including occupied spaces andavailable spaces. Information on the parking spaces in the parking lotmay be maintained in a database that the parking lot information system400 has access to. The information on each parking space may include itslocation in the parking lot and other characteristics, and itsup-to-date occupancy status.

The parking lot information system 420 may include a database updatingcomponent 424 for updating the parking lot information database with thecurrent status of each parking space in the parking lot based oninformation from the identifying component 423. For example, eachparking space may have the status of “available” (or “unoccupied”),“unavailable” (or “occupied”), or “out-of-order”. The parking lotinformation system 420 may transmit the updated information on theparking spaces to displays 108 and 313 located throughout the parkinglot, or to remote customers via computer networks that the parking lotinformation system is connected to. In example scenarios, customers atremote locations may check on the availability of parking spaces or thenumber of available parking spaces in the parking lot 100 throughcomputers at work, at home, or through smartphones and portablecomputers while on the road, before reaching the parking lot.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a process for identifying anddisplaying available parking spaces in a parking lot, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention. The process may begin at step 501when a vehicle enters the parking lot. Through a display 108 located inthe parking lot, the driver may immediately see where the currentlyavailable parking spaces in the parking lot are and their parking spaceidentifiers (e.g., the parking space identifier B2 in FIG. 2), at step502. The driver may select one of the available parking spaces from thedisplay 108 (step 503) and proceed to park in one of the availableparking spaces shown on the display 108 (step 504). The occupancy statusof each parking space in the parking lot is available to on-sitecustomers as well as to remote customers through networks connected tothe parking lot information system. For example, remote customers maycheck for space availability at a parking lot through officeworkstations, portable computers, mobile communication devices withembedded computers and applications.

A mirror 203 at the selected parking space reflects the license plate ofthe parked car to a camera 205, at step 505. Optical characterrecognition system 206 may read the identifier of the occupied parkingspace from the image, at step 506, and send the parking space identifierto a computer 312 for processing. The computer 312 may update a parkinglot information database with the current status of the now occupiedparking space associated with the received space identifier, forexample, from being “available” to “occupied”, at step 507.

The parking lot information system then sends the updated status of thenow occupied parking space to display 108 and remote customers throughnetworks connected to the parking lot information system 420, at step508. The updated status of the parking space is thus available toon-site customers as well as remote customers through officeworkstations, portable computers, and mobile communication devices withembedded computers and applications that can access the parkinginformation system through computer networks. The availability ofparking information to remote customers through computer networks alsoprovides the customers the peace of mind when they leave their cars foran extended period of time, such as at an airport parking lot.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a process identifying and tracking ofthe parking spaces that become available in a parking lot, according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention. The illustrated process maystart at step 601 when a vehicle leaves a parking space to exit theparking lot. As the vehicle leaves the parking space, the identifier ofthe parking space becomes visible to a camera 205, at step 602. Theoptical character recognition component 206 of the parking lotinformation system may analyze an image from the camera to read thespace identifier of the now vacant space and send the space identifierto computer 312, at step 603. The computer 312 may then update thestatus of this parking space from “occupied” to “available”, per step604.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the functional components in a computer inwhich aspects of the invention may be implemented, according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Computer 700 includes a processor701, a memory 702, a persistent storage 703, a communications unit 704,an input/output unit 705, a display 706, and system bus 707. As anexample, processor unit 701 may include one or more processing cores andcomputer memory 702 may comprise EEPROM memory modules. Communicationsunit 704 may include network interface adapters, modems and supportsoftware. Input/output unit 705 may include a keyboard, mouse, andprinter. Persistent storage 703 may comprise a hard disk drive or anoptical disk drive.

Computer programs are typically stored in persistent storage 703 untilthey are needed for execution, at which time the programs are broughtinto memory unit 702 so that they can be directly accessed by processorunit 701. Processor 701 selects a part of memory 702 to read or writebased on an address in memory 702 provided along with a read or writerequest. Usually, the reading and interpretation of an encodedinstruction at an address causes processor 701 to fetch a subsequentinstruction, either at a subsequent address or some other address.

An operating system runs on processor unit 701 to coordinate and controlvarious components within computer 700 and to perform system tasksrequired by applications running on the computer 700. The operatingsystem may be a commercially available or open source operating system,as are well known in the art.

Instructions for the operating system and applications or programs maybe stored are located on storage devices, such as a hard disk drive 703.These instructions and may be loaded into main memory 702 for executionby processor 701. The processes of the illustrative embodiments may beperformed by processor 701 using computer implemented instructions,which may be located in memory 702. Some of the processes may read fromor write data to a data storage device such as hard disk drive 703.

The system components shown in FIG. 7 can be varied from theillustrative examples shown. In some illustrative examples, computersystem 700 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA) configured withflash memory to provide a non-volatile memory for storing operatingsystem files and/or user-generated data. Additionally, computer system700 can be a tablet computer, laptop computer, or a computer-embeddedcommunication device.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andsubstitutions of the described components and operations can be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention defined in the following claims, the scope ofwhich is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompasssuch modifications and equivalent structures. As will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, the systems, methods, and procedures describedherein can be embodied in a programmable computer, computer executablesoftware, or digital circuitry. The software can be stored on computerreadable media. For example, computer readable media can include afloppy disk, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removable media, flash memory, a“memory stick”, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROM, etc.

Aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computerprogram product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s)having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,elector-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wire line, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN), Ethernet, or the connection may be made to anexternal computer, for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures described aboveillustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of systems, methods and computer program productsaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In thisregard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent amodule, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

1. A parking lot information system, comprising: a plurality of visualidentifiers each marking a parking space in a parking lot; a digitalcamera for obtaining an image of parking spaces in the parking lot; acomputer coupled to the digital camera for identifying available parkingspaces by recognizing the identifiers marking the available parkingspaces; and a display coupled to the computer for displaying informationon the available parking spaces.
 2. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a mirror arrangement to reflect an image of a car licenseplate to the digital camera.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thecomputer recognizes the parking space identifiers using opticalcharacter recognition.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the parkingspace identifiers comprise characters marking the parking spaces.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the computer records a license plate of a carin a parking space, parking time, and parking duration of the car. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one ofparking space location information, parking space identificationinformation, and number of the available parking spaces.
 7. The systemof claim 1, wherein the display provides a layout of the parking lot. 8.The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is coupled to a network toprovide information on the parking lot to remote customers through thenetwork.
 9. A computer implemented method comprising: obtaining an imageof a parking lot by a camera, the parking lot including a plurality ofparking spaces each marked by a visual identifier; identifying availableparking spaces in the parking lot by recognizing the identifiers markingthe available parking spaces, the recognition being done by a computercoupled to the camera; and displaying information on the availableparking spaces.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the parking spaceidentifiers are recognized using optical character recognition.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the parking space identifiers comprisecharacters marking the respective parking spaces.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising providing a mirror arrangement to reflect animage of a car license plate to the camera.
 13. The method of claim 9,further comprising recording a license plate of a car in a parkingspace, parking time, and parking duration of the car.
 14. A computerprogram product comprising a computer readable storage medium havingcomputer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readableprogram code comprising: computer readable program code configured toobtain an image of the parking lot by a camera, the parking lotincluding a plurality of parking spaces each marked by a visualidentifier; computer readable program code configured to identifyavailable parking spaces in the parking lot by recognizing theidentifiers marking the available parking spaces, the recognition beingdone by a computer coupled to the camera; and computer readable programcode configured to display information on the available parking spaces.15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computerreadable program code comprises computer readable program codeconfigured to display a layout of the parking lot.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program codecomprises computer readable program code configured to recognize theparking space identifiers using optical character recognition.
 17. Thecomputer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readableprogram code comprises computer readable program code configured toprovide information about the parking lot to remote customers through anetwork.
 18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein theinformation includes parking time, duration, and parking spaceidentification.
 19. The computer program product of claim 14, whereinthe information comprises parking space location information, parkingspace identification, and the number of the available parking spaces.20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computerreadable program code comprises computer readable program codeconfigured to record a car license plate, associated parking spaceidentifier, parking time, and parking duration.